#good way of making the 2019 design work

[cheriladycl01]

When at work - Lando Norris x UniStudent! Reader

Plot: Lando has known you since you were born, literally childhood friends. You went to every karting weekend with him until he started to travel more. As childhood lovers who have been dating for 8 years what happens when the general public find out about you?

Credit to landooscurls for the GIF

You'd known Lando since you were born just two years after him, and so until Year 4 when you excelled in your academics you were a school year behind him, you were moved up a year to his year. You followed him to the karting tracks when you were little being his biggest supporter and if you go back and look at interviews you'll always be spotted talking animatedly to his family about the race.

You had very strict parents about schooling and they wouldn't let you miss any days off, you could go to karting with Lando, after school or on the weekends but you couldn't take days off school for his races.

"Mum please! I want to go support him!" you cried when she told you that you couldn't have the day off to go watch Lando kart in one of his first proper championship races.

"No Y/N, Lando has found something he is good at... you are a smart girl and school is where you should be!" you mum had refused, smiling at you sadly.

"Dad?" you cried looking over at your dad, who would normally say yes to any request you had, especially if it involved Lando and his dad Adam, as they were friends.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry but I'll have to agree with your mum on this one" he sighs pulling you into a hug. Those days at school that Lando wasn't there were lonely to say the least, Lando's friends wouldn't hang out with you if it was only you and you didn't have any of friends.

Eventually Lando quit school when he got to British Formula three, there he made lots of new friends including Max, who he introduced to you. You would miss Lando in school, and tried to branch out to make new friends but nothing felt as close as the bond you shared with Lando.

"Y/N, this is my friend Max I met him in karting" he smiles pulling you closer to Max.

"Erm, hi" you had smiled shyly at Max, who smiled back at you. With Max it felt like he was genuinely interested in getting to know you unlike Lando's school friends who just sort of acknowledged your existence because of Lando.

You and Max of course made fast friends after this.

This was 2015, and he asked you there and then to be his girlfriend. At first you laughed and said no, because you thought he was joking and one of the boys from karting had dared him as a cruel joke. But after lots of groveling on his behalf you said yes.

In 2016, you managed to exceed in your GCSE'S getting 6 A* to B grades. Lando had come just to celebrate with you. The next year you did the last of your GCSE's getting 7 more A* - B grades making you come out with 13 GCSE's in total. Lando had come to celebrate with you, while you had gone to celebrate with him that he had won the Formula 3 championship.

He of course, was promoted to Formula 2 for the 2018 season and became a test and reserve driver for Mclaren, which made you so proud because this was his way of being able to get into Formula One. You went on to do your Alevel-s, which were Maths, Physics, Design and Technology and Law. You were now just turned 17 and looking at universities you could go to, and looking at what degree you wanted to go into.

He came second in Formula 2, just behind the other British Racing Driver George Russell. And was promoted to F1 for the 2019 Season and would be in his rookie season.

Halfway through his first season which had gone pretty well with only 2 DNF's and him coming 6th highest, you'd finished your exams and had got offers back from all 5 universities you'd applied to. It was sad really, you'd applied to the University of Surry and University of Royal Holloway just to be near the Mclaren Technology Centre so you could be closer to Lando in the off season.

You'd ended up choosing Cambridge University in the end and spend the rest of your summer until the end of September travelling to races with Lando, you went with his Dad, having his other spare pass. You saw him in Monaco, Canada, France, Austria, Silverstone, Germany and Hungry before you spent the summer break in Greece together along with Max. Then you came with him to Belgium, Italy and Singapore before you had to go home to move into student accommodation.

As a rookie there wasn't too much focus on Lando, but when a girl was spotted with him in the paddock for 10 races, people had questions. After they did some digging they worked out that you were childhood friends with Lando and you were in his older and definitely cringier Instagram pictures, and they checked his tagged photos which led them to your account that he was following.

Luckily it was private but you were shocked at the influx of follow requests.

Rumors spread and people deducted that you must be his girlfriend. It made you nervous but Lando promised to go at your pace.

Your first year of university was cut short, everything went into lockdown, and you were alone in your little dorm room with 5 other housemates. It was a month until you finished all your exams online, and made the decision to travel to Lando's to live with him.

You ended up staying with him for the whole lockdown, and then travelling around with him for the whole of the 2020 season. You managed to do this while studying as your campus was shut for the whole of 2020 and most of 2021. You had an amazing second year grade passing with a 92 overall school having a 1st in your second year. So when 2021 came around you'd applied for Formula One internships so you could keep travelling around with Lando and almost all of them as they already knew you accepted you, you had a difficult time deciding who to go with.

Eventually you went with Red Bull, of course Lando had made jokes about how betrayed he felt, but was happy for you being in a top constructor. You joined them for the 2021 Azerbaijan GP, on the 6th of June you were there for 17 races in 2021 and learnt so much from the team.

You spent until September 2022 with them having major input on the build of the 2022 Red Bull to the point Christian Horner ask for you to be shown on the Instagram. 14 races you spend with them and it was a wild ride before you had to go back to University for your final year.

At this point you and Lando had been together for 7 years strong now. People worked out how long you'd been together a while ago and it had really shocked them. They expected you to be engaged and ... well they weren't far off.

He proposed to you in the winter break of 2022 on a ski holiday he'd taken you on. All of your's and his family were there too see and it was beyond magical. You were going into the 2023 season with a Fiancé and your soulmate.

You let your Instagram go public during this time, the fans had been asking for more content from you. You appeared on streams, and Lando always posted you on his accounts. Now it was time for them to go and stalk you account, instantly people went back through your photos finding old pictures from when you and Lando were younger and then the more recent pictures that everyone thought were cute.

Now Lando had gone back to racing and you were starting revision for exams that would happen in May.

However, you didn't tell Lando, that money was getting a bit tight. You'd always been funny when it came to how much Lando earned and how he always insisted that you lived rent free with him and to not worry about it. So at the start of 2023, towards the end of your degree you got a little side job as a barista in an independent coffee shop.

Lando of course being busy now that it was the start of the 2023 season and he had a new rookie team mate to meet, he was none the wiser.

It was just a typical day at the coffee shop when you were with your college, making yourself a drink when a girl and her friend came in.

"Oh my gosh, your Y/N!" a voice says making you look up, you smile happily not thinking much off it because you were wearing a name badge so you assumed she got it from there.

"Yes, hello how can I help you today!" you ask politely stopping making your drink and walking over to the till.

"You're Y/N Lando Norris Fiancé right?" she asks and your mouth drops open in shock. You had been noticed around the paddock, of course you had... but this was the first time someone had come to you in public.

"Ah yes I am!" you smile shyly. The interaction was relatively normal, you served them their drinks and made conversation with them before having to go back and serve more customers.

You didn't notice them take pictures and videos of you interacting and serving customers, which of course made their way onto social media. Suddenly and influx of customers came, which was strange for a Tuesday afternoon.

As well as the influx of customers you had people come in with cameras, starting to take pictures.

"Y/N what is happening all of these people are asking for you" Rhianne your co-worker asks and that's when the blender turns off and you can hear people calling your name.

They were fans of F1.

"Hey Y/N Lando deserves better than you"

"Y/N why are you working minimum wage when you have a boyfriend with a net worth of over 10 mil"

"Y/N break up with Lando"

"Oh my god, how did they all know this is where I work" you say asking your college not sure what to even do.

"Okay, let's get you out the back. Call the police and I'll try keep up with orders" She says pushing you towards the exit, the staff room was on the other side of the shop so you were going to have to tackle your way through the mound of people.

Eventually after people shoving phones in your face and grabbing at your wrist. You manage to get into the staff area and lock the door. You were crying as you called the police, who said they'd send bodies to you immediately.

After you hung up, your phone started to ring and Lando's face popped up.

"Hi baby" you say trying to sound like your not crying. Your camera was facing up so he couldn't see you.

"Y/N show me where you are right now. I swear to god, if what I'm seeing on twitter is true" he huffs out making you pan down the camera to show the back room you were in. He was in Australia right now and had heard from Oscar that you were trending on twitter and looked scared.

"Are you safe?" he asks worried, making you burst into tears. You could suddenly feel everyone's hands back on you and your breathing goes shallow.

"Mmm, I had to call the police there was so many people" you cry, wiping your tears.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. Look after Australia, I'm coming to you okay! Why the fuck didn't you ask me if you needed money" he asks looking at you with that disappointed look you hated.

"Lando, you know how i feel about that" you say.

"Baby, your still in Uni. You shouldn't have to work. Do you parents know?" he asks, and you shake you head.

"Hey Y/N! How are you?" Oscar asks coming into view of the camera.

"I'm okay Oscar, I cant wait to meet you next week!" You smile at him, blinking away the tears that were still trying to come out.

"Oh, I think the police are here, but I'll call you when I'm home!" you say hearing a knock at the door.

"Ask them to take you home. You shouldn't walk round the streets alone! I love you darling" Lando sighs.

"I love you too Lando, thank you!"

A/N: I feel like this isn't very good, I'm sorry this feels like its so info dumpy and not much fluff!!

Taglist:

@littlesatanicassholebitch @hockey-racing-fubol @laura-naruto-fan1998 @22yuki @simxican @sinofwriting @lewisroscoelove @cmleitora @stupidandunnecessary @clayra-g @daemyratwst @honey-belden @moonypixel @lauralarsen @vader-is-hot @ironcowboycopnickel @itsjustkhaos @the-untamed-soul @beebo86 @happylittlereader @ziejustme @lou-larcher5 @thewulf @purplephantomwolf @chasing-liberosis @chillyleclerc @chanthereader @annoyingmoonballoon @summissss @evieepepi08 @havaneseoger08 @celesteblack08 @gulphulp @fandom1ruined2me @celebstories @starfusionsworld @jspitwall @sierruhh @georgeparisole @dakotatankbig @youcannotcancelquidditch @zzonsbeek @tallbrownhairsarcastic @mellowarcadefun @ourteenagetragedy @otako5811 @countingstacksandpanicattacks @peachiicherries @formulas-bitch @cherry-piee @hopexcroc @mirrorball-6 @spilled-coffee-cup @mehrmonga @bigsimperika @blueberry64857959 @eiraethh @lilypadlover @curseofhecate @alliwantisadonut @the-fem1n1ne-urge @21stcenturytaegi @dark-night-sky-99 @spideybv28 @i-wish-this-was-me @tallrock35 @butterfly-lover @barnestatic @landossainz @darleneslane @barcelonaloverf1life @r0nnsblog @ilove-tswizzle

[its-avalon-08]

hi !! can you do headcanons max verstappen X senna’s daugther!reader?

thank uuuu

hii !!! if i were to imagine senna's daughter!reader she would be so talented. she isn't a driver because of her built up trauma. (im fully aware that the timelines don't add up, don't add logic into it <3) she is an aerodynamic engineer, mainly responsible for making the car. she is secretly in love with speed and racing.

max and y/n met when they were just kids. max was a menace on track and y/n was terrified of racing. she saw speeding cars as a reminder of her father's passing. being good friends, y/n has a tradition of kissing max's helmet as a feeble attempt to keep him safe.

they started dating in 2019, and have been together ever since. y/n being the absolute genius she is, continues to work in redbull and delivers top of the line car designs leading to the dominance as seen on track.

max leaves a single, perfect red tulip on y/n's desk every race weekend, a silent promise to return safely.

y/n hides little notes in max's helmet before qualifying, each one a technical insight phrased like a love letter.

max, despite his aversion to early mornings, wakes up before y/n on important presentations to make her breakfast, his way of calming her pre-work jitters.

y/n, who finds airplanes stressful, uses a calming app max downloaded for her whenever they travel together.

max, after a particularly grueling race weekend, finds y/n curled up on the couch with a book about aerodynamics. he joins her, listening intently as she explains a new concept she's been working on, his full attention the sweetest victory lap.

max knows how deeply the lack of a father figure affected her, causing under-confidence and a constant need of validation. max knows this and never stops giving her words of affirmations.

everyone of the grid adores y/n. they see her spirit and her beautiful face reflect senna's in so many ways. max is fiercely protective of y/n, often defending her from questions about her father and his death.

y/n hates jos verstappen from the bottom of her heart. she is not scared of yelling at him when he berates max. she whispers affirmations into max's ears after a bad race (which was rare but not impossible)

when max crashes, y/n is the first to suffer from the highest intensity of a panic attack. she shivers and trembles until max gets out safely. after the crash in 2021 with hamilton which caused max to fall over in the medical center, y/n angirly stormed towards the cheerful hamilton, shouting angrily.

here's what happened ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓

the smile evaporated as y/n marched towards him. it wasn't a walk, it was a storm surge. "congratulations? you call pushing max off the track at 200 mph congratulations?" her voice, usually calm and collected, was a tightly leashed fury. lewis blinked, his smile morphing into something defensive. "it was a racing incident, y/n. we both went for the corner." her voice cracked. "racing incident? you call leaving him stranded on the gravel, risking his life, a racing incident? do you have any idea what it's like to watch someone you love walk away from a fireball?" the room held its breath. lewis's face paled. "y/n, i…" "no, you don't," she cut him off, her voice thick with emotion. "you don't get to pretend you know what it's like to see your dreams vanish in a cloud of smoke. you don't get to understand the terror of every single corner, every single race because you haven't lost anyone on this damn track!" tears welled up in her eyes, blurring the accusing stare she fixed on him. "max is more than a rival, lewis. he's a friend, a teammate, a human being. and today, you gambled with his life for a trophy." the silence stretched, suffocating. finally, lewis spoke, his voice devoid of its usual bravado. "y/n, i… i didn't…" "you didn't think," she finished the sentence for him, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "just like some people never think about the consequences of their actions." turning on her heel, she stormed out of the room, leaving behind a stunned silence and a champion stripped of his celebratory air. as y/n reached the red bull garage, she found max emerging from the medical center, a sheepish grin on his face. relief washed over her, so strong it brought her to her knees. max rushed to her side, his concern a warm balm on her raw emotions. he held her close, whispering reassurances into her hair.

🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️

well i hope you liked it! thank you for sending in your request and do send more <3 happy reading!

leave a like! leave a note!

🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️🏎️

[ethrlst]

abu dhabi gp ‘23

⌞ sypnosis⌝ - a sport dominated by men will never rewrite it’s rules for a woman. luck was on your side as well as your team when you first joined f1 as it’s first ever woman racer. how long would it take until your luck runs out?

⌞ tags! ⌝ - angst! teammatelewis! angry!totowolff! ogcharacter! cursewords! f1! mercedesdriver!character! y/n as yves!

⌞ a/n ⌝ - hii! i finally found the courage to make an account where i could comfortably upload my works about f1 or anything that inspires me in general lol. i do hope you enjoy my first fic! the inspiration for this was me watching brazil gp 2019, whilst eating dinner then it reminded me of lana’s song. also, y/n is named as yves.

- norman fucking rockwell - lana del rey

────── · · ୨୧ · · ──────

‘don’t do this to me please! guys, i’m begging.’ was what yves radio engineer hears when he had given the order to let lewis overpass her and take p1. he understood that pain, his driver yves is currently going through, was not going to be a good addition after the countless fights she went through in every lap to stick with the plan, win p1. she kept her word, no matter what order given to her radio was, how long the gap is between her and the next driver she’s going to overtake, or the risk of losing her place if she pitted in; she managed to come out on top. so why doesn’t it make sense to her? she had trusted each and every instructions from her race engineer and from her team principal, toto, who before race had told her to win.

────────────────────────

‘i need you to win, yves. do you understand? i need you to be on that podium.’, toto firmly repeats to her before she nods, ‘yes, understood.’

‘you’ve raced this track countless of times, lewis. i trust you know what to do?’, toto looks at lewis with a small knowing smirk, then hearing a short response from the man, ‘of course.’

‘so it’s clear? both of my racers podium, or i won’t have it.’, he jokes to the two drivers who can be heard laughing. yves smiles to herself, thinking about winning always puts a cheeky grin on her face. it was clear and apprehended, plan a was for both her and lewis to place no lower than p3, regardless who places p1 like toto wolff himself stated. yet, if things doesn’t play out the way they planned and designed it to be, one of them has to win at least. feeling a pair of eyes to her left, her thoughts were interrupted with lewis across the table, gazing at her with gentle but knowing eyes; which yves is now familiar with, we got this.

───────────────────────

with 2 laps left, she keeps her spot as leader before pressing the button to her radio. ‘i don’t understand, marcus. please please plea-s—…. what do you mean i have to give up my place?’. on the other side, back in the garage, marcus with one side of his headphone out from the ear, listens to toto give him the order to make yves switch positions with lewis. he furrows his eyebrows, but nevertheless lets his driver know of the news. he could hear her cries of confusion exactly the moment he closed his radio. ’why! i don’t understa—an—d. why would he say that? i-i mean it’s not part of the plan.. no?’. slowing her pace, finally letting lewis pass her, she hears her radio go off with the quick ‘it’s part of the plan. it was toto’s orders. confirm if you understand.’ not responding, she hears him follow up with, ‘good job, yves. you just have to guard this position from verstappen who is -6.18 behind you, one more lap to go and you are finished!’.

oh! and how suprising is that! leader of the laps for almost half of the race, the mercedes driver yves is slowing down for her teammate lewis hamilton and seems to be switching positions. isn’t that just one hell of a plot twist, everybody! i guess their original plan is now disregarded as lewis makes a beautiful overtake to his teammate, yves for the final lap!

now leading the final lap of the race with his teammate -1.18 behind him, lewis presses his radio button before asking his engineer, ‘mate, i need an explanation. this is not part of the plan, right?’. he receives a response shortly from bono after, ‘it is, lewis. toto declared you p1 loud and clear before the race.’ he lets out a breath, checking his mirrors to see yves’ car behind him exactly like they were instructed it to be. he knew what this meant to her, how this could affect the supporters, he understood that maybe, no, precisely after this race, changes are bound to happen to the dynamics of not only the team, but between them as well. years of experience in the sport has given lewis the opportunity of gaining skills and to unleash his true potential as a driver, that’s the reason why he is now a 7th time world champion. but he also recognized the importance of sportsmanship, learned how to be a better teammate; from the list of drivers in the grid, he knew that the most. roars of their engines, exhaustion from the race and continuous radio updates from bono had completely overwhelmed lewis, but despite so, his thoughts were certain.

‘what is he doing?! what the hell!’, confused, yves swerves to lewis’ right side of the car before looking at him. now side to side, both cars hear toto’s voice on their radios reminding them to keep their original positions, ‘no! no! that was dangerous, the both of you! lewis overtake now!’.

what a sight! the two mercedes are now driving side by side as they take their final turns towards the checkered flag! is this lewis finally grasping his 8th world championship title? or is it going to be yves’ first from her home race?

she finally understood what lewis was trying to do, for a split second she imagined it: her dream, the celebration, the overwhelming feeling of joy, the trophy and the title. the title. brimming tears that she has been battling from falling last 2 laps ago, finally touched her cheeks as she slowly but firmly stepped the brakes to her car, allowing lewis to cross the line first.

phenomenal that was for the mercedes team! an incredible, yet brave move from yves as she hit her breaks final second from the line. ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a beautiful 1-2 from mercedes! max verstappen coming in third and hamilton, finally, finally claiming his 8th world championship title in abu dhabi! what a race!

maneuvering the car back to her station like she was told by her engineer, she stops and finally take her helmet, balaclava and gloves off. resting her head on her steering wheel, she weeps to herself. hopelessness enveloping her whole body, she softly wails and grips her hair, eventually expressing the pain she endured the entire race. fireworks, engine sounds, news/journalists people asking questions and the cheers and chants of congratulations for lewis was all she could hear. she fears of looking pathetic, but it never came across her that feeling it was worse. hurriedly getting out of his car and rushing to take his gear off before avoiding as much people as he could, lewis runs off to her garage. he finds her in the exact position as he thought before he crouches, cradle her head on his hand and brushing her hair away from her face. softly, he calls out her name. feeling wet tears on his thumb, he expected to see teary sad eyes from the girl; taking a deep breath, what he sees suprises him the moment she turns her head towards lewis. a pair of crying angry eyes meets his. just like his races, he had predicted the consequences alongside of this win was, he just wasn’t prepared for it to be this soon.

fin.

[scoobydoowantssancks]

Props Are The Way To The Heart pt1

Renee Rapp x Reader

Author's note: I have never written anything like this before so I’m sorry if it’s bad :/ also this has no connection to my other Renee x Reader character this is a completely new one :)

Summery: The line between coworkers and lovers gets crossed

Work count: 2.5k

You always had a passion for filmmaking from a young age, whether it was in front or behind the camera. Eager to explore the world of cinema, you begged your parents for a camera every year since you could remember. On your 15th birthday, they made your dream come true, gifting you a film camera that felt as though it was perfectly crafted just for you. As you delved into filmmaking – from scheduling to location scouting, lighting, sound, and editing – you began to realize just how much work this was going to be. Despite the headaches, luck, passion, and time led to the creation of your first short film. It wasn't a cinematic masterpiece, but you felt proud and continued producing content, sharing it online and entering film and art competitions.

Determined to escape your small town and make it big, you moved to LA at 18 with your winnings and social media earnings. Your apartment might have been a safety hazard, with the walls stained with water damage and peeling paint, and creaky floorboards threatening to give way at any moment, but you were ready to chase your dreams. Between job hunting and covering bills with odd jobs, you occasionally got calls from production companies for smaller projects. The desire for a significant breakthrough continued until 2019, when a prominent prop master noticed your work and invited you to apprentice on the show 'Pose.' It was the opportunity you'd been waiting for, an experience that would help you in reaching your dreams. Under the guidance of your mentor Matt, you honed your craft and evolved into a sought-after prop designer. This success opened many doors for you to collaborate with larger companies and is what eventually led you to work on the show 'The Sex Lives of College Girls'".

Nervous but determined to excel in the industry and your craft, you approached your job with professionalism and a helpful attitude, with building connections and lasting friendships with crew members became a top priority. Typically focused on your tasks, you rarely engaged with the cast unless at after-shoot parties or when invited to dinners by crew. However, one day, during a regular set day, while diligently managing props, one of the leading ladies, Renée, approached you during lunch.

"Hey, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you yet. I'm Renée," she greeted with the voice of an angel.

"Oh, hi there. I'm y/n," you replied, keeping your focus on the simple white porcelain cup in front of you, unaware that this encounter would be the start of an adventure you could only have dreamed about.

"Nice to finally talk, I see you around a lot. Are you enjoying your time here? No troublemakers bothering you?" Renee inquires.

After perfecting the cup, you turn around to face the stunning woman. Stuttering, you manage, "I... I..."

"Youuuuu," she playfully counters.

"Yeah, um, it's fun. I really like playing with objects," you blurt out, eyes widening as you realize what you said. Panicking, you fear you've ruined your chance with the gorgeous lady. Luckily, she laughs it off, responding with a flirtatious, "Yeah, you look like you're good with your hands. I wouldn't mind seeing what else you like to play with."

You feel your eyes becoming comically large and you begin to sweat profusely, you stammer, "I, uh, I gotta go," and hastily retreat to collect your thoughts.

You might have thought this was the end of your awkward encounters with the goddess in human form, but, of course, strange interactions seem to follow you. In the days following the shoot, you run into Renee again.

"Hey again, what you up to?" Renee greets, with a friendly smile.

Attempting to recover from the previous embarrassment, you nervously respond, "Hi, Renee. Just wrapping up some set details."

As you speak, a small wooden sculpture wobbles precariously on the edge of a shelf, and with the slightest gesture, you accidentally knock it over, creating a minor crash. Finding yourself flustered in front of Renee once again, you apologize and quickly fix the mishap.

Renee chuckles, "Looks like the props are rebelling today."

Embarrassed by the accident, you manage to regain composure. "Sorry about that. Usually, I've got a better handle on things."

Renee reassures you, "No worries. Unexpected things happen all the time." She pauses, then adds, "You know, you have a very interesting vibe to you. How about we grab a coffee between shoots?" She hands you a piece of paper with her phone number on it.

Surprised by the unexpected gesture, you cautiously but hastily accept, "Coffee sounds incredible. I'd actually love to."

Renee smiles and continues on her way, leaving you with a mess of thoughts and feelings about your future coffee date.

In the days leading up to the coffee date, nerves start to get the better of you. The thought of spending one-on-one time with Renee on a more personal level fills you with both excitement and anxiety. As you go about your tasks on set, your mind starts to drift.

Then, the day arrives. Trying to play it cool, you meticulously plan what to wear and rehearse conversation topics to make sure that there is no awkward silence. But as the day progresses, your anxiety builds, and by the time you're back on set, your nerves are uncontrollable.

During a crucial shot, you find yourself fumbling with your set of props, disrupting the entire scene. The director, known for their strict demeanor, explodes at you. The set falls silent as the crew watches too scared to intervene.

The collective eyes on you and embarrassment of messing up begin to get the best of you as you start to tear up.

Just as you think nothing could get any worse, Renee steps forward. Calm and collected, she addresses the director as calmly as she could, "Hey, it happens to the best of us. Let's take a breather and reset, we'll get it right next time."

Her words soothe the tension in the air. The director, though still visibly irritated, nods and everyone takes 5. With Renee's support, you muster the confidence to get through the remainder of the day. As today's events wrap up, Renee shoots you a reassuring smile, silently reassuring you that things will be just fine.

Finally, the anticipated coffee date arrives, and you find yourself nervously waiting for Renee at a charming café.

It was a quaint and cozy place, with classic exposed brick walls and rustic looking tables. The soft glow of string lights brought a warm ambiance throughout the store. It reminded you a lot of the coffee shops you worked at to make money here and there, giving you a somewhat sense of familiarity. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries also fills the air, "a smell to die for," you think. The chatter of customers that provided you comfort suddenly fades as she walks in. Your heartbeat quickens, and a mix of excitement and anxiety floods your body.

Thankfully despite your initial worries the conversation flows effortlessly, with both of you swapping stories about your lives. The good vibes come easily, and you relax into your chair, feeling a strong connection with Renee. The chemistry you both shared became more and more apparent with each passing moment.

However, just as the connection deepens, Renee's phone rings, and she glances at the caller ID with a hint of frustration. "I'm so sorry. It's my manager; I have to take this," she says apologetically.

You nod understandingly, though disappointed.

Upon her return, you notice a subtle twinkle in her eye. "Sorry about that. Work sometimes has a tight grip on me," she says, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"No worries, it comes with the job," you reply, attempting to lighten the conversation. Your banter steers towards more personal topics, and the flirty comments resume.

As you exchange playful jabs, a daring enters your mind. Tempting fate, you lean in with a sly smirk, "You know, if your manager calls again, you could tell them you're busy... with other things."

Renee's eyes widen for a moment, registering your attempt at a flirt. Then, a mischievous glint replaces it. "Oh, really?" she teases, playing along. "And what exactly would these 'other things' entail?"

Maintaining as much eye contact and confidence you could muster, you respond, "Well, I was thinking of continuing this conversation somewhere a bit more... private."

Renee bursts into laughter, a genuine and warm sound. "Smooth move, y/n. You just earned yourself a rain check. Let's see where these 'other things' take us in the future."

As she leaves the café, you're left stunned, Renee was truly the most incredible person you had ever met.

Days after the interrupted coffee date, the unexpected occurs. The repercussions of your on-set blunder lead to you finding yourself being let go from the production team.

You fell back into the familiar routine of working under your mentor and juggling odd jobs, the connection with Renee continues through text. She checks in on you, offering support and condolences after hearing what happened. The messages become your lifeline.

However, life is always demanding. The regularity of texts gradually dwindles as responsibilities of work and personal life caught up with both of you. The routine texts fade, and messages dwindle. It's not a deliberate choice, of course if it were up to you, you would talk to her till the end of days, but as a result of fate getting in the way.

As days turn into weeks, and weeks into months, the relationship you and Renee developed becomes a distant memory. The texts that once served as a comforting presence now feel like relics of the past.

Despite the dream of working with Renee slipping through your fingers, the resilience you gained as a result of this heartbreak becomes a defining moment for you. Life moves forward, and you carry the memories of that brief, intense connection.

Continuing alongside your mentor, you immerse yourself in his projects and odd jobs he put you to, embracing this as a learning experience. When one day, out of the blue, your mentor calls you.

"Guess what?" he exclaims, barely containing his enthusiasm. "I've been offered the position of Head Prop Master for the new Mean Girls movie!"

The news takes a moment to sink in, but once it does you can't help but join in with his excitement. "That's incredible! Congratulations!"

"Thank you, thank you," he responds. "Here's the kicker – I want you to join me as part of the team. You've got the skills kid, and plus, I can't imagine doing this without you."

Your heart swells with gratitude, and you accept without hesitation.

Eager to see the Mean Girls retelling a success, you and Matt dive headfirst into the preparations. Countless meetings with the director, production team, and art directors become the norm as you meticulously plan and discuss the vision for the movie.

Together, you both traverse through detailed discussions about every prop – from the infamous Burn Book to the iconic Kälteen Bars . As the meetings progress, you begin to see your hard work unfold into a cohesive vision. The careful consideration given to each set piece reflected your commitment to honoring the essence of the classic Mean Girls while injecting new life into the narrative.

On the first day on set, the excitement and anticipation bubble within you. As you maneuver through the busy set, you catch a glimpse of familiar faces. Renee, looking as stunning as ever.

Unable to contain your enthusiasm, you rush up to her. However, before you can utter a word, a stern-looking production member intercepts, blocking your path.

"Hey, back off. Don't mess with the talent. If you can't act professional and keep yourself together, we'll have you out of here before you know it," they warn, a face full of disdain.

Stunned by the hostility, you attempt to explain, "No, I just wanted to say..."

But before you can finish, Renee steps forward, with a infectious smile. "It's okay! This is y/n, they're part of the prop team," she says, hugging you tightly. "I've missed you! It's been too long."

The staff member, caught off guard by Renee's warm reception, stammers, "I-I didn't realize. Sorry about that."

Renee dismisses the tension with a laugh. "No harm no foul. Don't worry about it". As the incident dissipates, you share a relieved smile with Renee.

"It's really great to see you again," you say, a genuine smile making its way onto your face.

Renee's eyes sparkle with warmth as she replies, "You too! I've missed you so much. I'm sorry we kind of lost touch."

"Yeah, me too," you admit, a hint of playfulness in your tone. "Life got busy, but it's nice to see you again."

Renee chuckles, "Totally get that. We're both wrapped up in our worlds. But hey, we're here now."

As the banter continues, a flirtatious undertone emerges. "You know," you say, teasingly, "if I'd known I would see you today, I would have worn some nicer clothes."

Renee laughs, "I guess we needed a blockbuster to bring us back together."

Your friendly reunion continues, you think of your past connection, hoping to respark that flame. As your banter continue, the background noise finally catches up with Renee, reminding her of her impending call time. "I hate to cut this short, but duty calls," she says apologetically.

You nod understandingly, "No worries, I know you've got a busy schedule."

Renee, not wanting to end the conversation on a rushed note, adds, "We'll catch up for real, okay? How about we grab dinner sometime soon?"

"Absolutely," you reply, a grin playing on your lips. "I'd love that."

With a quick promise to get your new number off of someone, Renee hurries off to set, leaving you with anticipation for the future. You can’t help but to hope that she too feels that despite the hectic schedules you both have, some connections are worth rekindling.

Later that day, as you head back to the prop shed, where you find Matt amidst a massive pile of lunch trays that needed to be organized for the following day's shoot. When you enter a mischievous grin forms on his face.

"Well, well, look who caught the leading lady’s eye," he teases.

You playfully roll your eyes, "Oh, come on. It was just a friendly catch-up. Nothing more."

Matt scoffs , "Friendly, huh? I saw the way she hugged you. Fireworks were practically flying. Don't tell me you didn’t feel it as well."

You laugh, "Alright, maybe there were sparks, but it's just... complicated."

"Complicated, hmmmm?" Matt raises an eyebrow, clearly enjoying teasing you. "Well, just remember, you've got the props to focus on. No getting distracted by Hollywood glamour."

You nod and salute, appreciating the friendly teasing. "Got it, boss. The movie is the priority."

Despite Matt’s advice you find yourself blurring the line between fantasy and reality, and find yourself pulled into a world where the bright lights of Hollywood and genuine connections with someone collide. Your dreams of seeing Renee again and getting your big break became a reality, setting the stage for what may be an impossible decision.

[nihilnovisubsole]

Because of your latest post: not sure if you’ve answered this before, but how does someone even entertain the idea of writing for the game dev industry? Did you start out on indie games or just write before and show them your work? Since it’s such a subjective field etc

if i have, it bears repeating! here's a rough timeline of what i did. never discount the value of luck and the kindness of friends

2016: i was doing a random freelance transcription job when i saw @theivorytowercrumbles post about writing for voltage. they reblogged the studio's open casting call for new writers. since it was so lenient - no experience, fanfic samples allowed - i applied. they hired me for their new project, but let me go after a trial period, citing that the tone of my writing was a bad fit for that game. i foundered for a while after that. i don't take rejection well. i started dangerous crowns to try to make money from writing some other way.

2017: one of voltage's producers reached out to me and said they'd started another project that i was a good fit for. she felt letting me go was a mistake and wanted to snap me back up. i said yes, i mean, are you kidding? so i started on reiner's route.

2018-2019: i kept at it. i took on diego's route. it occurred to me that i wasn't making very much money, but i liked my coworkers, and i was building my portfolio, so who cared? i also finished dangerous crowns, and a handful of people bought it, but certainly not enough to support myself or anything.

early 2020: between the pay and creative differences with voltage's team, it started to sink in that i needed to find other work. i applied to the few open game writer jobs i could find, but with only mobile romance in my portfolio, i got nowhere. i threw in dangerous crowns samples. i tried to network on twitter. i still never made it to the interview phase. i foundered for a while again.

late 2020: the voltage writers went on strike. i gave a statement to a journalist that one of obsidian's narrative designers noticed. we became acquaintances over it. another old friend of mine threw me a life raft in the form of a different contract, better paying, on a non-romance indie game. i took it gladly. i added a twine game to my portfolio, too. i kept applying. i got a few interviews, but something still didn't click.

2021: i finally accepted that i needed formal help. i did a portfolio workshop. i got resume coaching. the coach passed my name to a writer on the company of heroes team. they liked me! they also paid me more money than i'd ever seen in my life. at the same time, obsidian advertised a narrative job opening. i applied on a lark and let my ND pal know i was doing so. why not, right? college-new-vegas-fan me would want me to. they rejected me, but not before i passed their writing test and two interviews. i had nothing to lose at that point, so i told my ND pal that i was bummed. she gave me a golden piece of advice: "you came really close. try again."

2022: obsidian had another narrative opening. i threw myself at it. i was now going to annoy them into hiring me. since i was a known quantity from applying six months before, they had no qualms about interviewing me again. this time, it worked out, and i've been there ever since.

what's the common denominator here? i met people who thought i was all right and gave me a hand up when i needed it. the standard advice is to work with a community of your peers instead of trying to get your heroes to senpai-notice you. it's not that they don't care - they just have their own thing going on, and your peers could be the heroes of tomorrow if the right project comes along. i also found the portfolio was the end-all-be-all when it came to job hunting. i went through a grieving process with that! i'm not afraid to admit it. i wish studios had held my degree or dangerous crowns in higher regard, but i just had to make games in a wider variety of genres, and that was that.

one caveat: narrative is a really saturated field right now. a lot of people want to write, and there aren't many openings. it's not uncommon for big studios to get hundreds of applicants. larian probably got over a thousand for the job they posted recently. i feel awful saying that, because i don't want to discourage you, but i'd feel worse if i didn't let you know what you were getting into. if it's something you want, you should try! keep an open mind about the random projects you may find. you never know where they'll take you.

[centrally-unplanned]

I played a few more of Nemlei's (Developer of The Coffin of Andy & Leyley) games to sort of get a feel for their design philosophy a bit (typical Ash behavior, everything's a production history). I played No-Good Noelle & Candy Scabs, and poked around Better Half.

Andy & Leyley is their most ambitious project by a country mile, and a good deal more advanced conceptually. It is also their first RPG Maker game, the rest being pure Ren'py VN projects. This was a very smart choice on their part - they love gore & horror style elements, but in a simple VN those elements are going to be carried, in the main, by dialogue, with the occasional splash art. Its hard for that not to overstay its welcome, or come off as a bit too edgy? You can make it work with real design flexes (Doki Doki Literature Club being a classic example) but that is very high skill (DDLC is famously impressive on the coding side). Meanwhile Andy & Leyley gets miles out of the fact that you-as-player physically do all of the actions, and engage with 'bonus' dialogue from the environment as much as you want. You are extending that welcome via choices you make.

Andy & Leyley also seems like their first project to take place in "our world", even if it's a crapsack alt skin version of it. It is another smart choice, as - typical to the relationship-focused VN genre - Nemlei cares about characters first, and that is where all the time goes in these games. Which means the fantasy settings of say No-Good Noelle are inherently shallow; they don't want to spend time developing it all that much. In A&L all that is presumed *except* the relevant differences, which are way easier to drip-feed. The longer length & RPG elements help with that too ofc. And I think it works a little bit better with the toxic dynamics they are so enamored with; a toxic snow fairy/imp dynamic is like, yeah, they are magic creatures, guess they can do that. Fun, but that isn't going to hit the way a Covid-Quarantine metaphor driving you over the edge is going to.

Of course the art has also evolved and all that too; they started making full games in 2019 it seems, had choppy "generic western cute-horror-anime" aesthetics for a few there, couldn't get "adult" character designs to work for Better Hal & Divelethion, but finally broke the barrier on Andy & Leyley, and committed to a more cohesive style with its own identity to boot.

Btw they have very impressive output for a solo artist who is virtually never charging for these products and doing like no social media promotion. They love the grind for stories, I see who they are in every work and respect them immensely for that.

[animalcrossingshowdown]

now that I've been running this blog for nearly a year and it's starting to wind down, I think I can have little a self promotion as a treat

first, this blog will most likely start back up again if tumblr is still around whenever the next AC game comes out. what tournaments I run and how I run them will depend on what new stuff is added, but I at the very least want to do the new villagers, since the villager tournament was really the main thing of this blog

@isitinacnh was a blog I ran that compared the furniture catalogue from NL with NH to see how many items were cut or changed, but in the new year I think I'll repurpose it to show how items have evolved through all the games. don't expect to see new posts coming out of it for a good while though, because the most efficient way for me to make the posts would frontload it with all the interesting stuff, so I want to get a pretty big backlog started so I can shuffle the queue up before it starts posting. I have all the images downloaded to my computer already, I just need to post them

@villagerdetails gave in depth looks at all the villager models and expressions, mostly for the purpose of art refs. again if tumblr is still here when the next AC game comes out, I'll start this back up with the new villagers if I am able to. there is a good chance this might need to wait for like new amiibos to get released or something idk we'll see

@angiestown and @angiestownart are my main and art blogs respectively. angiestownart is just my art, usually with some extra commentary that I didn't want attached to the main post. angiestown is a personal blog, but I post all my art and a lot of the cakes I decorate at work and other dessert things I make. I'm also hoping to maybe next year on my main blog design and post screenshots of every single house in happy home paradise, just like I did with happy home designer in 2019. seems like a good time to do it since nintendo appears to be winding down the switch and I doubt any games I care about will come out for a good while

also if you guys wanted to reblog this post specifically that would be very niceys sorry it is long lmao

[the-monkey-ruler]

Just a random ask, what are some weird JTTW adaptations you’ve seen or heard about?

I can’t even begin to call them all but… if you bear with me, I shall try.

Here are a few games that I always found funny additions!

Starting off strong we have Journey to the West: Undersea Adventure (2021)! I have never seen it but LOOK AT IT.... THEY FISH

Six-eared Monkey (2021) where Six Ears goes back in time, accidentally adopts Wukong not knowing he is his future enemy and gives his life to save Child-Wukong despite knowing who he grows up to be.

Wukong's Christmas Adventure (2019) is like... saving Ruphdolh or something and Wukong is going through a mid-life crisis and also kinda depressed but CHRISTMAS. Also the Erlang and Nezha models in this movies are TERRIFYING... and also they have Wukong rap so take a look.

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013) is weird but like in a GREAT way like... I love the monster designs they give Wukong, Bajie, and Wujing, it is such a different vibe then any other movie I have seen and Honestly LOVE It for that. Really sells just how HUMAN Sanzang is dealing with POWERFUL YAO that could kill him in a second.

Bling (2016) is strong that it didn't hAVE to be Xiyouji coded characters like the Monkey, Pig, and Frog are robot storage performers, wannabe heroes and they follow their creator who is trying to propose to his girlfriend but there really is not journey or ANY need to have the robot being Wukong, Bajie, and Wujing.

Spark: A Space Tail (2016) is also BARELY a Xiyouji film but like it does have a monkey with a staff and turns out he is the son of a king and a queen of monkey planet. Really more like Lion King with the evil uncle trying to take over but with space monkeys.... and also Bajie is there.

Mo mo King (2011) is something I'm not completely sure what's it about but just that it is like a whole monkey island that Wukong-like protag works at... and also Bajie is there.

Devil's Chip (2002) again NO idea what it is really about but there is space and time travel and for some ungodly reason no wukong from what I have seen but Sanzang and Bajie company the space/time travler

Flying Monkid (1996) I have no idea why this was ever MADE like there is barely a connection to Wukong and every other demon is new or some kind of version that is barely recognizable, not to mention the animation is barely any better than Pixal art.

Flying Superboard (1990) I always just found this one strange from the animation to the art style to the design choices. Like making Wukong some kind of skateboard, nunchuck, mouse-looking creature and giving Bajie a machine gun is.... something. I have no idea what they did to Wujing, made him like a bat, goblin thing.

Midnight Goku (1989) is like a sci-fi detective story where the protag has like computer eyes that can see through people and a bo-staff and honestly, I haven't seen but just the STRETCH they use to make this Wukong-related is so insane like would have never thought of it.

Little Wukong (1987) honestly not SURE what this story is even about but like... it is nearly lost media, this is so obscure and out of the way I have a feeling it was probs a children's education show or something but idk.

The Legend of Red Boy (1989) is something that looks like candy land spat out and while I have not seen it I am so sure that it is filled with nonsensical elements I cannot begin to describe.

King Kong's Adventures in the Heavenly Palace (1959) is... more of a crossover than anything else. Just imagine a movie where instead of Wukong destroys heaven... it is Kind Kong. Legit THE king Kong from the OTHER MOVIES YES.

Pink Journey to the West (2015) is honestly not that strong I would say besides that it is just Journey to the West but they are all girls... haven't seen it but who knows maybe it is good!

Tom and Jerry Chase with Tom as Erlang Sheng and Jerry as Wukong

Fortnite Wukong... that is it

Overwatch with Xiyouji skins just think it is adorable honestly. Love the Winston as Wukong

Plants versus Zombie: Journey to the West addition

Rabbits: Party of Legends

And while this isn't EVERY weird (there is a lot) one these are that I thought were at least interesting enough. Like a lot of Xiyouji movies have strange plotpoint but honestly, they are more boring and confusing than anything memorable. At least these were the ones I always thought were fun!

[arttsuka]

2024 vs 2019-21

I really did design this a few months after I actually got into star trek for the first time. I don't know if the difference is as big but I feel much more comfortable with my style now. Rant under the cut.

Star trek was one of the first big fandoms I consciously started looking into. It had a special connection to me.

The first star trek thing I ever watched was the 2009 movie, although I didn't watch it in 2009 and I was far too young either way, I was too bored to read subtitles (English is not my native language). A few years passed and in 2017 I watched star trek beyond. I loved the characters but something was missing? Then I started digging into the fandom. I watched the other 2 aos movies, started looking up fanart. In 2018 I started watching tos for the first time. I never actually finished that watch, some episodes from seasons 1 and 2 and the majority of season 3 left without me touching them at all (I was watching on Netflix and like, I love(d) Spock so I usually just skipped episodes without him in them, don't judge me). In 2019, summer, I started watching the old movies (while watching the 4th one I has a very bad toothache but the movie made me feel better until I inevitably went to the dentist). I also didn't get to watch all the movies, the 5th half watched and the 6th not at all (but I do want to watch all 6 this year, let's see how that goes). Then the pandemic happened, I started rewatching my favorite episodes (the naked time, the devil in the darkness, amok time etc). I don't remember exactly when but I did watch some tas episodes too (don't remember much, only the vibes). Last year (2023) I did a full actual rewatch of tos.

If course I was reading fanfiction too at the time, the first big fanfic I've ever read was a star trek fic. I was looking at fanart and I wanted to draw too but the problem was, I couldn't figure out how to draw these characters. I was copying other styles hoping I'll find mine (it didn't work but it helped me improve I think). I have some of these early Spock drawings from 2019 but I don't know if they'll ever see the light of day. Making Spock as a pony was the only logical solution at the time. It was easy, I was familiar with mlp enough to make sense of it and also I love drawing animals. So this design was born. Over the years I just stopped drawing the gloss on his hair but the overall design didn't change.

If you couldn't guess I love drawing wings so I think this is where the most improvement lies. But I do think the anatomy is better as well.

I'm not reading all that, so let's hope I didn't make any mistakes while writing it (I'm not good at writing so there're definitely mistakes in here :| ).

[snek-panini]

It is Monday, and Monday is for books. Look at these beautiful things! They took me five months to make. I tried so many new things in the process and I am extremely proud of them. This is a binding of @racketghost's amazing Good Omens fic Strange Moons (Hi. I hope it's ok I tagged you in this. Your fic has been one of my favorites since I found it in 2019.) The story is a series of short fics (and one long one) that really need no introduction from me. They're set throughout the 20th century, and they are beautiful and sensual and moody and you should definitely read them if you haven't already. This is the longest work I've bound so far, but I was fortunate that the word count on the shorter fics added up to almost exactly the length of the final, longest one, making them the perfect choice for a two-volume set. I tried very hard to get them to be an exact match, and they turned out even better than I pictured.

More pics under the cut! Two books means twice the pics, and all the stuff I tried here means it's a very long post, so be warned.

Individual images of the covers. The titles are done in silver htv over brown faux leather, edged in charcoal bookcloth. The graphics are the same on both, except for the title text, and they have the same image of the reaching hands on the back. All the art assets are from rawpixel, I just flipped and rotated some of them to make the back image.

The cover materials were an interesting challenge. I'd worked with both before and wanted to incorporate them both in the design, but after measuring and checking grain direction I found I didn't have enough of either of them to do a full book, or even a half bind. So they're actually made by affixing the faux leather to the book board, then layering strips of book cloth over the top. The corners are actually mitered at a 45-degree angle. Here's a close-up:

It's two long strips of cloth (spine and fore edge, not mitered) with two short strips (top and bottom, mitered) glued over the top. There was so much measuring, omg. I bought a new tool to make sure I got it right. Hilariously, I still didn't have enough leather and had to order another roll anyway. Also hilariously, I got the idea to do this after seeing an image of a leather-bound book made by a professional that appeared to have the same feature, i.e. multiple materials with an inset and mitered corners. Wow, I said, looking at a video thumbnail, I'm going to do that! So I did, even though I didn't watch the video. Much later, after I watched his tutorial, it was clear that the design was from leather dye and tooling, not the thing that I did at all. But I do like the effect, and now I know it's possible I think it'll be great for using up weird offcuts from making other covers.

Look, spines! With TITLES on them! And LITTLE RIDGES! Both firsts for me. I'm a little obsessed with them. The cricut has opened up entirely new worlds, though I suspect the little silver lines might have been easier to do with a foil pen (which I don't have) than they were with a heat press. I did them by making the cricut cut out several "=" symbols that were the same width as the spine. The raised bands are false bands; I made them by layering little pieces of chipboard on the spine stiffener, then molding the book cloth around them when I covered them. I was worried it wouldn't work, since this is usually done with leather and book cloth is apparently way less stretchy, but it worked fine. Probably because it's a small straight design, no curves or fancy bits. I'd layer the chipboard thicker next time so they stand up higher (this is 2 layers, I'd do 3 in future) but I'm delighted by how this turned out. They look so professional.

The endpapers on both books are a constellation print. I had a really hard time trying to find something to go with the typeset, and the only ones I liked were from an etsy seller who kept selling out of them. I got lucky eventually but it was one of many hassles that befell this project. I also made my own end bands using a tutorial from the Renegade Bindery discord. I had some issues and I didn't quite nail them but I think they're pretty good for a first time (ok, second time, the first one was on a practice text block, but my point stands). I had originally intended this to be a split boards binding, my first time trying that, but when I got the boards glued on I found that they were crooked. Really crooked. Completely misaligned. Much swearing followed this discovery. I ended up having to cut the boards free, cutting the mull and tapes in the process. The mull was easily replaced, but the parts of the tapes that are usually glued to the boards were a lost cause. I reused the boards, but flipped them so the edge with the cut tapes inside is at the fore edge so I could have a cleaner hinge. You can see in the last photo that the cover board is a little wider at the fore edge. On the plus side, there are no tapes to wrinkle my pretty endpapers and it combated the small bit of spine swell I had. On the downside, the hinge has less support and the only thing I learned was How Not To Make A Sewn Boards Binding.

I may have gone a little nuts with the images in this typeset. In my defense they look very pretty. In order, that's the title page, table of contents, section break image (same as the back cover, just tiny), chapter header and ender (each chapter has one on its first and last pages, they just look particularly cool when you can get a full page spread like this), and the image on the last page of the book (same as the cover image, almost). The cover image was also supposed to have little rays coming off its moon like this one does, but the lines proved too thin for the cricut and it ate them. I still like how it looks though. The prose in this story is really rich and I was in the mood for opulence when I did it. I have absolutely no regrets.

Here's a feature that's unique to this typeset. One of the chapters in the second volume has three alternating, interwoven timelines. I read them fine on Ao3 but had trouble following them when I formatted it for printing. Usually I'd use the section break image to denote when there's a scene skip but there are literally dozens in this chapter, like 40-60 breaks over the course of 10 or so pages, and it looked very busy with images in it. So I left them out, made the line skips single instead of double like they are elsewhere in the book, and I color-coded the text instead. One timeline is printed in black, one is dark gray, and one is dark blue. And it's a very surreal chapter, with the characters having some very confusing and conflicting emotions, so I feel like reading multicolored text when you're not expecting it (the rest of the book is all normal black and this bit is near the middle) sort of reflects that unbalanced feeling? I hope so anyway, because I love the way it looks so much.

I learned so many things in the course of making these. I'm absolutely doing all of them again. Part of the reason it took so long was that I wanted it to be perfect, or as near as I could get, and I had to take the time to solve all the puzzles it threw at me. But it stretched my creativity and ingenuity and I could not be more in love with the finished product.

[animehouse-moe]

Delicious In Dungeon Staff and Episode PV

As expected, the preview for this week's episode looks really good. A lot of that is owed to Trigger's production management which has done a great job of conserving staff for these bigger moments, but also a good deal should be credited to the staff leading the episode, so let's take a look at them.

Storyboard: Nobutoshi Ogura

Ogura is a very intriguing staff member to see here, largely because the last time they were spotted on an anime production was all the way back in 2019 when they did storyboards for Promare. For reference, that was nearly 5 years ago now, so Ogura's resurfacing should be a very big deal to Trigger fans.

Regardless, they've shown some really great work and ideas within the limits of this episode PV, so I'm excited to see what they can do with the full episode.

Animation Direction: Emi Tamura, Kazuki Chiba

This is a very unique pairing, at least in my opinion. Tamura isn't a prolific animation director by any means, but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to describe them as seasoned in relation to the role. In comparison though, Chiba is a spring chicken as this is their first credit for animation direction.

It's a really interesting pairing that I think has shown itself very well within the episode. Of course, we don't know which AD has corrected which cuts, but between both there's a lot of great work that ranges from very on model designs to that oh-so Trigger styled exaggeration.

Overall, it's a very eclectic mix of experience displayed by the episode staff. Nobutoshi might be incredibly well regarded for their boards, but they've been out of the game for nearly 5 years. Similarly, where Tamura will offer predictable work, Chiba is more of a loose cannon.

It's not quite a black box of an episode, but it's a surprisingly large question mark that's rather exciting. The PV really lends a lot of assurance towards the success of the episode, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what this group of staff is able to make of Laios' second encounter with the Red Dragon.

[hstylesloverr]

MAY.

dad!harry x singer!reader | the series’s masterlist | part two.

parining: dad!harry x singer!reader

warnings: pregnancy, mentions of pregnancy, vomiting, nausea, angst, baby denial. 

-

May, 2019.

Harry Styles was sleeping soundly in the king-size bed he shared with his girlfriend when the unpleasant sounds from the bathroom grew louder as Harry woke up. His eyes had to adjust to the morning light, and when he leaned down to look at the clock on his nightstand he saw that it was only a quarter past six in the morning. There was no way Y/N was up this early. Unless it was something really urgent.

Harry woke up quickly and apprehensively made his way to the bathroom, where he saw his girlfriend kneeling in front of the toilet, throwing up and making really nasty noises.

"Y/N, babe." Harry quickly knelt down beside her, twirling her hair to keep it from getting smeared with vomit and gently stroking her back.

After about a minute the vomiting stopped completely, Harry quickly handed her a piece of paper to clean up and a glass of water to get the vomit taste out of her mouth, Y/N smiled slightly at him in thanks and gladly accepted them.

Harry rubbed her back gently "Honey, maybe you should go to the doctor, I heard there's a stomach bug."

"It's nothing, Harry." Y/N shrugged. “I'm sure it's the pizza you cooked yesterday, I already told you that you put a lot of cheese on it.”

Harry pretended to be offended “The pizza was in perfect condition.”

"Whatever you say, cook." She kissed him on the cheek before getting up from the bathroom floor and going back to bed. Harry followed her after closing the bathroom door and making sure everything was in perfect order.

"I'm serious Y/N, maybe you should see a doctor."

Y/N rolled her eyes, but at Harry's seriousness she finally relented.

"Okay, I promise if I keep feeling bad I'll go to the doctor."

The topic was not mentioned again for the rest of the morning. Harry had to go into the studio early to finish perfecting some songs for his new album due out later that year, and Y/N was going to have lunch with her friends and bandmates, and then they'd have to start organizing events. for her tour that would start early next year.

Harry moved closer to Y/N to give her their usual goodbye kiss as she reached for the pair of sock in her hand, however, the girl scowled and quickly pushed him away.

“What's happening?” Harry said, surprised and offended at the same time.

“What perfume did you wear? It is awful.”

“It was the one you gave me for Valentine's Day!” Y/N frowned and moved closer to Harry to sniff him, however it was a bad idea as she immediately gagged.

"My God, I'm literally nauseated. It is impossible for it to be my perfume, I have good taste. Are you sure it's not the one Jeff gave you?”

Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation. And before Y/N could react he pulled her close to him and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

“I'm leaving, I'm already late. Bye, I love you.”

Y/N smiled slightly.

"I love you too." As Harry opened the door to their apartment and started to leave, Y/N yelled at him. “Seriously, tell Jeff to learn how to pick better perfumes!”

She heard her boyfriend's light chuckle, followed by the sound of the door closing.

When Y/N took her car to go to the cafeteria where she would meet Rosé, Lisa and Jisoo, she saw her mother's incoming call on her mobile. She hurried to pick it up.

“Mom! how is everything?”

"It's all right, darling. And you?”

“Well, now I was going with the girls to have some breakfast, what are you doing now?”

“I was trying to make an appointment with a couple, the woman is pregnant and apparently all my available days this week coincide with her doctor, gynecologist and nutritionist appointments.”

Her mother worked in interior design, and even though she no longer needed to work as Y/N's fame had spread worldwide and money was not in short supply to speak in modest terms, Y/N's mother was really passionate about her job and didn't want to leave it before retirement.

“What does a nutritionist have to do with a pregnancy?” Y/N asked mockingly as she climbed into the driver's seat of his car.

“Nutrition during pregnancy is very important, darling. When I was pregnant with you, aside from nausea caused by any kind of smell, I had to stop eating peanuts, and you know how much I love peanuts.”

"Yeah, it must have been really hard for you," Y/N commented nonchalantly as she put the call on speaker and started his car. However, after making in the realization of what her mother had said, she frowned and said in a voice perhaps too shrill than it should have been. “Mom, did you have a lot of nausea when you were pregnant?”

"Of course, honey, I was throwing up at least five times a day during the first trimester. However, the second quarter was pretty good.”

“And you had nausea like... for example... with a perfume?”

"Oh yes, your father's perfumes really made me sick. I made him throw them all away the first week, why the question?”

"Ah, nothing is...just curious." Y/N cleared her throat and decided she couldn't drive anymore, so she headed to the nearest public garage so no fans or paparazzi could see her. “I have to hang up mom, uh... I'll call you later.”

"Sure, darling, bye. Say hi to Harry for me.”

Y/N just hung up and settled in the emptiest part of the garage. She turned off the engine and rested her forehead on the steering wheel, trying to control her breathing. She thought about calling Harry and telling him her worries, but was she really pregnant? what if she wasn't and it was just the pizza Harry cooked last night and she was worrying about nothing?

She quickly grabbed her phone and went to the calendar app where she had all her menstrual periods listed, since she wasn't very good at remembering those things. She frantically looked at the months of January, February, March, and April. Nothing in May. Her period was supposed to have come three weeks ago. Any. Y/N sank completely into her seat, suddenly feeling very cold.

She and Harry had a very active sex life, meaning they fucked almost every day. But they always took preventive measures. Apart from that, they had only been together for a year and a couple of months, isn't it supposed that to have a child you have to have been together for a longer time, like five years or so?

Then there were their careers. They were both singers and they were currently the most famous of the moment, they were busy with their songs, tours, meetings, photo shoots, recordings, interviews, how the hell was a child going to fit into all that? Harry and Y/N had barely had time to spend the last few months, how could they have time for a child?

Harry had always wanted children, he had known from a very young age, but was this really the time? What if Y/N is a bad mother and her son hates her for the rest of his life?

As Y/N was about to cry, her cell phone vibrated with an incoming call. Y/N looked at the name and saw that it's Lisa, so she hurriedly grabbed it.

“Y/N, pretty, we're all in the cafeteria, where are you?”

"I, uh... I'm coming, I'll be there in a moment," Y/N said with such a small voice that for a moment she thought Lisa hadn't heard her.

“Everything is alright?”

“Yes, everything is fine, calm down, I'm coming.”

“You don't sound good at all.”

Y/N cleared her throat.

“I'll be there in a moment.”

When Y/N arrives at the cafeteria, wearing a hat and glasses strategically placed so as not to be recognized, her friends are already waiting for her at a table and when Y/N sits next to them they greet each other affectionately.

"I think I'll order an American coffee," said Rosé as they looked at the menu to start ordering lunch. Lisa and Jisoo also ordered coffee and when Y/N nonchalantly said that she would go for a decaf Jisoo frowned.

“But if you hate decaf, you even got mad at Mitch for ordering a decaf, you said "why are you going to order a decaf, that's not even coffee!" "

Y/N was beginning to regret having so strongly professed her hatred of decaf coffee. But since she didn't know if she was pregnant or not, and wouldn't know until she bought two pairs of pregnancy tests, she couldn't take that chance.

"You're weird," Rosé observed, staring at her. “Are you sick?”

"Harry told us yesterday that you were sick to your stomach," Lisa commented, "you should go see a doctor, there's a stomach bug somewhere."

Y/N decided there was no point in lying to her friends, I mean, they'd known each other for over four years, and they'd been through all sorts of things together. Besides, she needed to vent to someone because if she didn't she thought she was going to go crazy.

“Actually, it's because...” Y/N wrung her hands nervously “I think I'm pregnant.”

A crushing silence fell over them. Jisoo was the first to react.

“Pregnant? You’re going to have a baby?”

"It's not... I'm not sure, but I've been waking up for a couple of days and running to the bathroom to throw up, and I'm constantly nauseous, and the perfume Harry was wearing today almost made me throw up, plus I was supposed to have gotten the period three weeks ago so... I don't know what to do guys, should I tell Harry? Or should I wait until I get tested to tell him?”

Lisa, who was at her side, gently placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

”We are going to buy several pregnancy tests. That way you'll get out of doubt. And... whatever comes out, we'll work from that.”

Rosé and Jisoo immediately agreed. So they canceled all the meetings they had for the rest of the day and headed to the nearest pharmacy.

Since they were at risk of anyone seeing them, and seeing that they were buying pregnancy tests and chaos breaking out over Y/N and Harry, they decided that it would be better for neither of them to take off their hats and glasses and also buy other things to deflect the attention.

Jisoo was the one who took it upon herself to buy wrinkle creams first before quickly heading over to the pregnancy section and quickly grabbing four boxes, quickly throwing them into the shopping cart along with the creams, and pretending to be normal. Rosé and Y/N put in a couple of boxes of diarrhea pills and Lisa put in a large bottle of rubbing alcohol and gauze pads. They pretended to be completely normal and when they went to the register to pay they made sure not to look up at any time.

In the end they came out with three bags and the pregnancy tests well hidden in them. If by any chance someone had recognized them, they would only be seen with three pharmacy bags that could contain anything.

Harry wouldn't be home until five in the afternoon, so they had about five and a half hours to take the test and decide what they would do depending on the result. Y/N took the four boxes and entered the bathroom, while the others waited for her outside.

Since Y/N had never taken a pregnancy test before, she spent at least eight minutes reading the instructions. She followed all the instructions and when she finished all four tests she had to wait at least five minutes. Her hands were sweaty and she felt numb as she left the bathroom and announced to the others that now they would just wait.

She sat next to Rosé while Lisa set the timer. Her mind was in a kind of loop where she could only imagine herself telling Harry over and over again: I'm pregnant. Sometimes those repetitions alternated and the result was either Harry extremely happy telling Y/N and their son how much he loved them, or it was Harry getting mad at her, or it was Harry not saying a word and just walking away.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Lisa's cell phone, announcing that the five minutes had passed. The three gazes of her friends landed on Y/N, who without saying a word went back to the bathroom, to the sink, where the four tests were perfectly placed.

When Y/N came out of the bathroom again, so pale her skin was starting to turn purple, Lisa, Rosé, and Jisoo approached her worriedly.

Y/N didn't say anything, just handed the evidence to Jisoo and headed to her room, slamming the door shut. Jisoo raised her arm and the three of them looked worriedly at the word inscribed on each of them.

Pregnant.

[idrellegames]

Apologies if this (or anything similar) has been asked before, but how long did Wayfarer take to plan/write/etc before you started posting about it on tumblr or actually.. writing the game?

I'm currently in the very early planning stages of my own IF and I don't want to rush on making the worldbuilding. I imagine lots of planning went into Wayfarer (?) before you started to actually write the game or promote it on tumblr, and I suppose I'm just curious to know? Again, my apologies if this is a weird question or one you don't want to answer.

Oh that's a good question!

To be honest, I wouldn't use what I did as a good example of what to do. 😅 As some of you know, Wayfarer has its roots as a Dragon Age fan game. That game went nowhere (and has no similarities to Wayfarer other than Alexia, Ren, Calla and Aeran were all originally OCs for it), but it did mean that I had an audience from the DA fandom when I made the switch to original writing. I made this blog and did announcement posts and OC questions before I had anything substantially written. I released one demo in May 2019 and didn't get much further than that.

2020 was when I made changes and abandoned the fan game to work on what is now Wayfarer. I did about 5 months of plotting and planning before I made the announcement; I actually did most of the initial worldbuilding and outlines for a video game scriptwriting course I was taking at the time. I had to develop a game bible for a hypothetical game, so I used Wayfarer for that coursework, although that game bible is not very representative of what the game is now since I had to do specific things in specific ways to appease my professor.

The first thing I did after announcing the switch to orginal fiction was commission a portrait of Mel. 😂 I already had portraits of Aeran, Alexia, Ren and Calla and though those ones were commissioned while the game was still Dragon Age, their character designs are still the same. Though I don't think artwork is necessary to have a successful IF, it can be very helpful in terms of gaining an audience. Visuals are eye-catching!

I tried a lot of different things in 2020. Some things worked, some didn't. The first half of the year I was worldbuilding, outlining, and reworking the game bible. I wrote and coded a Prologue that eventually got scrapped, and the beginning of Episode 1 up to the fight with Kane, which didn't. I livestreamed it on my Twitch channel with my partner reading and doing voices (shout out to anyone who remembers Southern Sero because that was... a thing that happened).

I rewrote the Prologue with the one we have now in September 2020 and worked to add more material to Episode 1 before making an official game announcement in November 2020. I can't quite remember how far that first demo went, but I think it was the Prologue and Episode 1's fight with Kane if the player went to Rat Alley and up to the end of the meeting with Zenaida if the player went to the docks. All of that would have been around 51k words of playable content in the game when the demo released.

Looking back, I probably would have done things differently. I also think that there's no one way to make an IF. What works for one person is not necessarily going to work for another, it's okay to find your own path. 💗

But I can give a little bit of advice:

You need to know what you are writing before you go ahead and write it. IF is not a medium that can be pantsed (unless you're creating a short or micro game). Get comfortable plotting and outlining in well in advance. You should have an idea of how your game is going to shape up and the main thrust of the plot before you start, otherwise you're going to get overwhelmed with too many ideas and risk fizzling out.

To promote a game, you need to have a game. Before you launch an announcement post and officially start marketing your game, you need to have a playable demo with substantial content. Think of it this way: you only have one shot to make a first impression and it has to be a good one. The demo needs to introduce the player to their character, the world, the game's main mechanics, and a plot hook. The amount of work this is going to take is going to differ depending on the scope of your game and your writing style, but a character creator and 1000-3000 words is not going to cut it.

Don't use your blog as a way to worldbuild. Keep that offline and between you and your beta group or writing circle. If there's one repeat tendency I've seen a lot over the past few years of IF development on tumblr, it's that there is sometimes more interest in answering OC asks and writing flash fiction and answering prompts then there is in writing the game. These asks can be a lot of fun and can absolutely drive engagement for your blog, but at the end of the day they can either take away from the time and energy you should put towards your game or they will spoil the development of your characters for the players. The line between player engagement and player participation in a game's development is a very fine one that can get tricky to walk.

Worldbuilding isn't something that you do at the start and never again. It's something that grows with you as your write your project; sometimes you'll have to shift things and change them, fill in holes you didn't see coming, scrap ideas entirely. Allow yourself breathing room. I think you're off to a good start by knowing that you don't want to rush the worldbuilding. It's something that takes a lot of time to grow organically, and it's going to change and grow with you.

Good luck! 💖

[riveracheron]

how to stage “the tragedy of francis” (MAG 172), but like. in a normal theatre

hi this’ll have to do today @a-mag-a-day

im a theatre technician who, upon listening to the Spooky Play Statement of “Strung Out” got really into the idea of how one would Actually create the technical elements. it seems like an interesting challenge! this was the only theatre related episode with indepth description of the Spooky Stuff but if yall are interested id be happy to talk about Other Episodes and ways you can practical effects your way through the fearpocalypse :)

spoilers for mag 172 and fake blood below the cut!

rules of this:

- i am a technician, not a director. i am assuming that the play as described by jon is the script and that we need a giant spider and hooks and blood. i am not making any choices, simply describing how these effects can be done in a professional theater sense. to that end, i am also only a student; and not an expert.

- we are going as hard as possible. no substitutions, no artistic choices to pare it down, no nothing. this is the magnus archives we’re getting meta enough. alongside that, im not worrying about budget. this is broadway level shit.

- i am not putting a stage on a stage. this is just looking at the Tragedy itself and jon can go sit in the audience for all i care.

cool? lezzgo.

i. the hooks

this is a fly system! it’s mostly used for lowering and raising set pieces. oftentimes, its also used with actors to raise them into the air when flying. shows like wicked, mary poppins and peter pan use this to pull actors into the air to make it seem like they’re flying.

it’s done with wires connected to hooks connected to the actors’ bodies via straps. sound familiar?

they are often hidden with lights, but they don’t have to be- for a play that draws attention to these wires, the designer would probably draw attention to them - at least for when they start to dance around and stuff.

the hooks that attach to francis’ joints throughout the show could be flown in as well, and their costume and more strategic lighting could make it seem like they were attached to them. you can get pretty grotesque with high budget theater and special effects makeup.

ii. the spider

characters that are puppets is not a new thing in theater! one of the most famous examples is Audrey 2 in little shop of horrors- a puppet that has an actor off stage saying their lines into a microphone. the spider would also probably be the same.

there are some motorized puppets like the sandworm in beetlejuice the musical, but most are person-controlled, which works best for speaking puppets as show to show, peoples way of speaking can change from show to show, and the puppet needs to be able to keep up, and motorized puppets can be out of sync.

this video is a good making-of process for a giant speaking monster puppet, and i assume the spider would be the same, just much higher. there would probably be a false ceiling like the false wall above, and the puppeteers would sit above to operate the legs as if they were dangling.

it would probably be also attached to a fly system for easy lowering as the scene goes on.

iii. minor things

- the blood would come from “strawberries”, little packs of blood hidden under actors’ costumes that they can burst when needed. theres also a capsule version that one can put in the mouth and bite down on.

this is an example from the 2019 production of oklahoma, and a good look at blood strawberries and what they do

- the spider-drink would probably be done with. fake edible spiders, lots of scuttling noises from the soundboard and lights that hide the fact that they are not moving, perhaps with strobe or something crazy. the spider rain would probably be the same, but with stagehands pouring spiders down from the catwalks.

- other characters would also be off stage with mics.

- good actors will sell a Lot of this. even if the new hooks and stuff don’t touch them, they can definitely make it seem like they do.

sooooo um yeah! as much as this episode made me sick - i love technical theatre and this was a fun infodump !! take this um. as you will ig. please stage safely !! blood packs can stain and fly systems can be unsafe so please. don’t try this at home. or at least get a professional to help

[maaarine]

Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men (Caroline Criado-Perez, 2019)

"The good news is that this kind of male bias can be designed out and some of the data collection has already been done.

In the mid-1990s, research by local officials in Vienna found that from the age of ten, girls’ presence in parks and public playgrounds ‘decreases significantly’.

But rather than simply shrugging their shoulders and deciding that the girls just needed to toughen up, city officials wondered if there was something wrong with the design of parks.

And so they planned some pilot projects, and they started to collect data. What they found was revealing.

It turned out that single large open spaces were the problem, because these forced girls to compete with the boys for space.

And girls didn’t have the confidence to compete with the boys (that’s social conditioning for you) so they tended to just let the boys have the space.

But when they subdivided the parks into smaller areas, the female drop-off was reversed.

They also addressed the parks’ sports facilities.

Originally these spaces were encased by wire fencing on all sides, with only a single entrance area – around which groups of boys would congregate. And the girls, unwilling to run the gauntlet, simply weren’t going in.

Enter, stage right, Vienna’s very own Leslie Knope, Claudia Prinz- Brandenburg, with a simple proposal: more and wider entrances.

And like the grassy spaces, they also subdivided the sports courts. Formal sports like basketball were still provided for, but there was also now space for more informal activities – which girls are more likely to engage in.

These were all subtle changes – but they worked. A year later, not only were there more girls in the park, the number of ‘informal activities’ had increased.

And now all new parks in Vienna are designed along the same lines.

The city of Malmö, Sweden, discovered a similar male bias in the way they’d traditionally been planning ‘youth’ urban regeneration.

The usual procedure was to create spaces for skating, climbing and painting grafitti.

The trouble was, it wasn’t the ‘youth’ as a whole who were participating in these activities.

It was almost exclusively the boys, with girls making up only 10-20% of those who used the city’s youth-directed leisure spaces and facilities. (…)

In the city of Gothenburg in Sweden, around 80 million kronor is distributed every year to sports clubs and associations.

Of course, the funding is meant to benefit everyone equally. But when city officials examined the data, they found that it wasn’t.

The majority of funding was going to organised sports – which are dominated by boys. Grants benefited boys over girls for thirty-six out of forty-four sports.

In total, Gothenburg was spending 15 million kronor more on boys’ than girls’ sports.

This didn’t just mean that girls’ sports were less well funded – sometimes they weren’t provided for at all, meaning girls had to pay to do them privately.

Or, if they couldn’t afford to pay, girls didn’t do sports at all."

[harry-on-broadway]

The Last Line: Part Five

Part Five

Word Count: 5.2K || Series Masterlist || Rating: M

***

“It’s perfect.” 

“Really?” Penny blinked. “You’re joking, right?”

“No, I’m not,” Skylar said with a light laugh. “There are a couple of things we might want to move around, but this will be a very light edit. Great work, Penny.” 

“Thanks,” Penny said, still in a state of shock. “I didn’t think it would be that good. I mean, I didn’t even think about it while I was writing. It was…” she searched for the right descriptor. “Word vomit, as gross as that sounds.”

“We often produce our greatest works when we give ourselves the space to say what we want to say without self-censoring. I wanted the articles in this series to come from the heart and that’s clearly where you pulled this from, Penny. I should have edits to you later this afternoon and we’re well on track to publish it tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good. I have a couple of calls but I can make time to review it this afternoon.” Penny paused on her way out of the room. “Thank you again. For giving me this opportunity. And for helping me. With everything.” She inhaled sharply, feeling tears prick in her eyes. 

“I’m lucky to work with an incredible person like yourself, Penny,” Skylar said. “Helping you, guiding you, it’s my pleasure.” 

Penny could feel the eyes of her newsroom on her during the brief walk back to her desk. In the weeks since her meltdown in the conference room, Penny’s coworkers had begun to treat with a newfound sense of respect. Darren had been asked to seek other work in its aftermath of the incident and Penny’s subsequent relationship with Skylar had the others viewing her as some sort of deity. 

“Well?” Chloe asked as Penny slid into her desk chair. 

“She loved it.”

“As I knew she would.”

“She said she thinks it’s going to run tomorrow morning.” 

“So soon! Amazing!”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think he’ll…?” Chloe didn’t need to finish her question. 

“I don’t know.” Penny swirled her straw in her cup, trying to get a sip of the vanilla syrup that had gotten trapped underneath the layers of ice and coffee. 

“Has he still been creeping?”

“Yes.” They hadn’t spoken since that night at her apartment and Harry continued to ignore every text and voicemail she left for him, but he was still lurking in her instagram stories. She’d started testing him, posting random and mundane shit like her morning coffee and the song she was currently listening to on Spotify. Regardless of whatever her story was, he was the first one to view it. 

“And do you think he’ll take the bait?”

“I hope so! Otherwise I don’t know what I’ll do. I just –” 

“Hey, it’s fine,” Chloe said, attempting to soothe Penny’s distress. “This is going to work. I promise you that.” 

Hours later, Penny’s Slack app chimed with a note from Skylar saying that edits were ready for her to review. As promised, her suggestions were minimal and Penny cleared them all within a half hour. She knew legal and design and all of the other departments involved would need to sign off on their end before it could be official, but by 8am tomorrow, her words would be out in the world. 

She didn’t know why she felt so nervous. She’s been through this hundreds of times before, but never had she shared something so personal with the hundreds (Or was it thousands?) of people who read the site everyday. It felt like she was giving a piece of her soul for public consumption. All in the hopes of winning back a man who never wanted to see her again. 

She sighed and closed her laptop. “I’m going to head out,” she said to no one in particular, earning a handful of half-hearted acknowledgements from those who were scattered around her. In her car, she opened one of the playlists Harry had shared with her and pressed play. Feeling the music wash over her, she pulled out of the garage and drove home preparing for the most nerve-wracking night of her life. 

***

August 17, 2019 

The Start of Something New 

By Penny Sanders 

This coming November will mark one year since I joined the staff at The Moment and four years since I accepted my first, official, grown-up journalism job. Ahead of these personal milestones, I’ve been reflecting a lot on what it means to be a journalist, specifically one that covers the arts. 

One of the main tenets of being a good journalist is objectivity. You’re there to present the facts in an unbiased way, calling out injustices and holding truth to power. Everyone learns that in their freshman mass comm class. But what they don’t tell you is how that rule isn’t always so cut and dry. 

While I do a bit of everything when it comes to music coverage here at The Moment, my primary role has been that of a critic, reviewing concerts and albums and giving you my honest take on them. It’s a dream job for many, but it’s also one that has caused me a great deal of stress and anxiety over the years. 

I’ve struggled to be harsh (even when a well-pointed criticism is deserved). I’ve struggled to hone a voice, oscillating between gushing fan girl and hardened veteran to appear as if I know what I’m talking about. And I’ve been a victim of intense (at times almost debilitating) imposter syndrome, second guessing that my opinions and ideas are even worth sharing. 

But all that has changed in recent months as I’ve started to venture down a new professional path, chatting with and profiling newsmakers in this industry we all love. Sitting down for these interviews, I’ve always expected the cold formality that has long been associated with an industry presser – say your question and get your answer as quickly as possible, foregoing any sort of human interaction. Instead, what I found was a connection I never knew I had been looking for. 

Recently, I had a chat with an artist who shall go unnamed. I’d reviewed their work before, and while I might have been fair in my assessment of their music, I wasn’t necessarily kind, something that I didn’t realize the impact of until we had a chance to speak face-to-face in an informal setting. As we spoke about our respective writing processes, I had a realization. We were one in the same. We found our way to an industry where everyone speaks the same language, found a pack to call home, and were creating the art we always wanted to, even if it was on opposite sides of the line. That conversation, along with subsequent others, really put into perspective the fact that you can’t separate the personal and professional when it comes to art, as a piece of you will always live inside your creation. 

So, why am I rambling about this and forcing you to read it at 8am as you have your morning coffee? Because I’m making some changes starting today. 

You’ll still see me around town and on the website reviewing concerts and albums (like I’d ever give that up!), but I’ll be expanding my coverage area as well. I’ll be chatting with some of the biggest names in the industry, cutting through the scripted BS and having real, human conversations about the thing we love most: music. I’ll also be sharing more personal essays about my own thoughts and feelings on the business of the day in an effort to start a conversation with you, our readers. 

So, if you’re reading this (and hopefully you still are), what are you waiting for? Let’s chat. My schedule’s wide open. 

***

Penny jolted awake at 6am the next morning. She had a couple of hours before she’d be able to share her article and put her plan into motion, so she took her time getting ready, blasting an early 2000s pop punk playlist while she did her makeup and drank her coffee. At precisely eight, she opened up The Moment’s website on her phone, grabbing the link to her article before navigating to Instagram. 

She’d already preselected a photo – a throwback shot of her in one of her dad’s old concert tees, cheesing hard in front of a record store. She posted it to her story with a quick caption (Tried something new and got a little personal this morning) and a link to the piece. She watched the progress wheel fill as the story uploaded and when it was finished, she opened it again, instantly spotting Harry’s profile picture in the bottom left corner. 

Distraction was essential to the next phase of the plan, so she tossed her phone in her bag, grabbed a thermos of coffee, and started the drive into the office. She could feel her phone burning a hole in her canvas tote, but she ignored it until she was seated at her desk. Her mom and one of her college roommates had replied encouragingly, but there was nothing from Harry. 

Doug, the SEO coordinator, greeted her brightly as he made his way to his cubicle. “Already getting a lot of traffic on it. Great work!” 

“Thanks.” She checked her phone again. Nothing. 

There was an editorial meeting that morning, and then Skylar took her for a celebratory pastry from the bakery across the commons before Penny’s afternoon interview with a photographer. When she finally got to check her phone over lunch, there were tons of notifications, but as she scanned through them all there were none from Harry. In the middle of the afternoon slump, she saw an email come in from Jeff – it was a simple “Nice job!” Not the most encouraging thing, but if Jeff had read it, it was probably safe to assume Harry had as well. 

Tom messaged her a little while later, a long and meandering note professing how proud he was of her and how great it was. The most interesting tidbit came at the end though. I think you’ll be surprised by the impact this has. 

“What does that mean?” she asked, passing her phone to Chloe.

“I don’t know, that you’re the voice that will define our generation?”

“Be serious.”

“I honestly don’t know! On the surface, it seems like a general ‘this is going to resonate with a wide audience’ comment, but maybe on a deeper level he’s talking about…you know.”

“But that’s not your first instinct.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Damn it.”

“Pen, it’s OK. We know he saw your post and that’s a start. Maybe he hasn’t had time to sit and read it but will later today or something.”

“Maybe…”

That night as Penny left the office, her head was somewhere else, deep in a daydream of what it would have been like if her plan had worked. Harry would have been outside her door with a cup of coffee and a bouquet of flowers. There would have been a kiss and maybe a little something else, but most importantly she’d have her friend back. Her eyes were on the ground, so it was the loafers and socks that she saw first. 

“Jesus Christ, are you trying to kill me?” she yelped, her heart racing.

“I didn’t know how else to find you.” Harry stood sheepishly slouching against her car door, wide-leg trousers slung low on his hips, bowling shirt unbuttoned just a little too far. 

“You could have come inside the building for starters? Or texted me? I know your phone is still working Mr. Instagram lurker.”

“You knew that was me?”

“It was pretty fucking obvious to anyone that knows you. And we had a bunch of mutuals including Tom, Jeff, and Mitch.”

“Fuck, I thought I was being a little more low key.” 

“Sorry.” Penny shifted uncomfortably. “So-” She was interrupted by boisterous laughter from a group making their way to a group of cars one lot over. 

“Maybe we should go somewhere a little more private to talk?” Harry asked. “If you’re comfortable with that?”

“Um, yeah that would be great. Do you want me to drive?”

Harry nodded affirmatively. “I bummed a ride off of Jeff so I am currently without transport.”

“Jeff’s a good friend. I would have made you hitchhike.” 

Harry snickered as he opened the passenger door and slid in. 

“Do you mind if we make a stop?” Penny asked as she pulled out onto the main road. 

“Not at all.”

“Good. I have a tradition after I publish an article.”

“What’s that?”

“An In-and-Out milkshake. Do you want one?”

“Chocolate, please.” 

Penny cruised through the drive-thru, grabbing the milkshakes as Harry tried to go unnoticed beside her. Ice cream in hand, she continued driving until they made it back to her apartment. 

“This is about as private as it gets,” she said, stirring the thick liquid with her straw. “We can stay in the car if you’d prefer.”

“No, let’s go in.” 

Harry stayed two steps behind Penny as she climbed out of the car and unlocked her front door. He followed her lead, taking his shoes off and sitting down on the couch. He took a sip of his milkshake and Penny mirrored his action. Neither was sure who should be the first to speak. 

“I’m sorry,” Penny said, thawing the awkward chill that had settled between them. “I know that’s an empty word, especially between us, but I just need you to know that I regret how everything blew up. I have an explanation for it all but none of that matters when you were hurt by my actions.” She paused. “I really hope you forgive me, but I won’t ask you to, as what I did crossed a line.” 

“I forgive you.” Harry said without hesitation. “And I would like to hear your explanation for what it’s worth.”

“Oh-kay.” Penny shifted, tucking her legs under her and turning to look at Harry more directly. “So you know how I’ve been trying to mix things up at work, write some more serious pieces? Well, it just so happened that Tom gave me one on a silver platter when he mentioned you were working on a new album. My intent was just to break some news, get a scoop that could show my editors that I could do it. But then I got to know you and you were telling me things that would have made for an amazing story and I just got carried away. I made the wrong choice to keep taking notes and working on this hypothetical story. Then Darren –”

“The asshole.”

“Yes, the asshole. He got involved and it spiraled out of control and things got complicated because of….” Penny trailed off, searching for the right word. “Us.” Penny looked up at Harry. “It’s important to me that you know I would have never published anything you told me after all of that. I value you as a person more than any sort of splashy article.” 

Harry nodded slowly. His face was serene but his fingers were working overtime, twisting the ring on his finger at warp speed. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me like that but just seeing those notes you had…” He chewed on his lip and his eyes grew damp. “It used to be so hard to figure out when someone was using me and when someone just wanted me for me. But thankfully, I’ve become a pretty good judge of that. I thought you were one of the good ones so seeing that just made me really second guess not only what we had and how I felt about us but it made me question my judgment. Do any of my friends actually care about me? It was a rough time. I’m still working through some of that if I’m being honest.”

“I hate that I was the cause of that.” 

“It was bound to happen eventually so don’t be too hard on yourself,” he said with a wry laugh. 

“Well either way…I’m glad my selfish actions helped you grow? That feels weird to say.” Penny laughed. “Anyways, I’m happy we were able to clear the air. I much prefer talking to you face to face instead of watching you lurk on my Instagram stories.”

Harry laughed before placing his cup on the coffee table. “Speaking of talking…I actually did want to discuss something with you.” He cleared his throat.” “That night…the last time we saw each other…what you said? About why you couldn’t do that profile?”

“Mhmm.”

“What did you mean that you love me?”

Penny took a long sip from her drink, buying herself some time to think. “I hated you the first time we met and I don’t know why because I feel like you’re the only person to ever truly understand me. You know what I’m thinking before I say it, you see things in the same way as me, and you make me feel invincible. That day that you read that article that Darren killed…I felt so supported in a way that I haven’t really before, which is like weird to say because I have friends and family who care about me, but standing in that coffee shop with you holding my hand and telling me I was good at my job was something I never knew I needed. But once I had a taste of it, I knew I had to have it forever.” She finished speaking and looked at Harry, who had an indiscernible expression on his face. “That was a lot, I know but you–”

“Can I kiss you?” His voice was low, his question was tentative, and Penny couldn’t even be sure that was what he actually said, but she nodded anyway. At this point, she would have given him permission to do anything. 

He approached her carefully, as if any sudden move would scare her away, cupping the back of her head with his hand and drawing her closer to him. 

Their first kiss was nothing like Penny had imagined. In her dreams, she’d envisioned everything from a quick peck on the cheek after he walked her home, to a feverish, tongue laden precursor to fucking. In actuality, it was gentle, yet firm, and despite the simplicity of it, the gesture was charged with more emotion than any kiss she’d had before. She didn’t even realize how lightheaded she was until they broke apart and she found herself gasping for breath. 

She met Harry’s eyes and exhaled. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for that.” 

It was like the kiss had unleashed something lurking deep inside them both and Harry lunged towards her, pressing his lips against hers again and again and again, pushing her flat on the couch, the remnants of their milkshakes long forgotten. Penny tried to memorize every detail: the weight of his body against hers, the softness of his lips on hers, the silkiness of his hair as she ran her fingers through it. She tried to stay in the moment, but the sensation of his body rubbing against hers made it hard to not think about what would happen next. 

“Ow!” Her head bumped uncomfortably against the arm of the couch as she slid down further.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked, pulling back and checking her for any harm. His lips were swollen and his curls were disheveled. “What’s wrong?”

“I just bumped my head.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“No, it’s fine. Just a little cramped here.” Penny swallowed. “My bed might be more comfortable. If you’d like to move there.” 

There was a heavy pause and Penny prayed she hadn’t misread the moment.  Harry’s eyes glazed over as he processed what she said. “Um, yeah, that’s great. Lead the way.” 

Penny breathed a sigh of relief as he climbed off of her and helped her stand, keeping his hand entwined with hers as they made the brief journey to Penny’s bedroom. She backed him up into the room, and Harry fell back on the bed. Penny climbed astride him, kissing him again and again and again, and she ground her center against his growing erection. 

They’d waited for what felt like forever, but when they had nothing but time in front of them, there was no need to rush, even as Penny felt herself grow wetter with touch and caress. As Harry sucked kiss after kiss from her lips, she realized she’d never really thought about how hot kissing could be. Maybe it was just that she’d never been properly kissed, something Harry was working hard to rectify. 

Harry wound his fingers in her hair gently pulling her head back to expose the column of her throat. He nipped at the sensitive skin, sucking a kiss from it before soothing the spot with his tongue. He repeated the process up and down her neck until his fingers fell to the hem of her shirt.

“Is it OK if I take this off?” he asked.

“Yes,” Penny said, guiding his hands as they pulled her t-shirt up and over her head. She unhooked her bra as he tossed the shirt aside. Her bra followed leaving her naked from the waist up. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he said, absentmindedly rubbing his fingers up and down her side as his eyes took in every piece of her. “Come here.” He pulled her close and started kissing every inch of skin he could see. “So fucking beautiful.” 

Penny shifted so one of Harry’s legs was nestled between hers, giving her the pressure she craved as Harry continued kissing her neck. After a few minutes she stopped him. “I’m going to take these off if that works?” she asked, gesturing to her jeans. 

Harry nodded. “I should probably do the same.” He pulled his shirt off in one fluid motion and pulled his pants and briefs down next. Penny couldn’t help but stare. 

“Stop it, I’m shy.”. 

“You’ve got nothing to be shy about,” Penny said, trying not to let on exactly how impressed she was with what she saw in front of her. 

Harry cleared his throat, and Penny couldn’t tell if the flush in his cheeks was a result of their activities or embarrassment. “Do you have a condom?” he asked. 

“Oh, yeah. There’s probably one around here somewhere.” Penny opened the drawer of her bedside table and dug through the mess. “That one is expired,” she said, tossing it to the waste basket. “And this one is….” she squinted to read the date. “Still good! We’re in the clear.” Harry laughed and it was her turn to blush. “What can I say, it’s been awhile since I needed one.” 

“No judgment as I’ve also been in a bit of a dry spell.” Harry took the condom from her and adjusted himself and Penny watched. She was still in shock that this was actually happening and was half convinced that she’d wake up from this dream any minute. 

“Penny?”

“Oh, sorry! Did you say something?”

“I just asked how you want to do this?” Harry asked. “What’s usually best for you?” 

“Oh…” Penny wasn’t sure if she’d ever had a partner ask her about her preference so directly, especially on the first hook up. She scoured her brain trying to think of what she actually liked and what wouldn’t be too intense for what could just be a casual hook up. “Um, usually just missionary is fine. But I also like to be on my knees occasionally.” She cleared her throat. “What about you?”

“I’m going to be honest with you, Penny, I think anything with you would get me across the finish line.” One look at his cock and she knew he wasn’t lying. She hopped up on the bed and got on her knees without a second thought. 

Penny could feel Harry lining himself up with her as she braced her hands against the headboard. It had been a minute since her bed had seen this much activity and she prayed the IKEA frame would hold up. Harry dragged his tip over her and she squirmed with the anticipation of what would happen next. The first thrust caught her off guard and she pitched forward. 

“Careful,” Harry said. His voice was soft, but its usual gentleness had been replaced by something harder. “Do you need me to stop?” 

“Please, no,” Penny panted. He’d reached a spot deep inside on just one thrust and she just needed a minute to adjust to him. The burn of him inside her was unmatched, the perfect combination of pain and pleasure. Harry had wrapped one arm around her waist holding her steady as she adjusted, lightly tracing abstract patterns over her skin. “OK, you can go,” she half whispered, half moaned.   

Harry anchored his hands on her hips as he thrust in and out in a painstakingly slow rhythm. It was torture – for the both of them – Penny presumed, and she felt the beginnings of an orgasm building inside of her. She could feel the pressure of his hand against her hip, knowing it would leave a bruise tomorrow, a thought that turned her on even more. Harry moved his hand up her body, settling on her breast and rolling her nipple as he increased the pace of his thrusts. It was all consuming, but Penny still needed more. She reached down to stroke her clit, the bud already tender and slippery with arousal. She was close, she could feel it. Just one more stroke and –. 

“Can we –?” Harry asked breathlessly as he attempted to flip Penny onto her back. “I want to see you. I need to see you.” Penny complied, her body pliant in his arms as he placed her gently on her back before ducking down for a deep kiss as he locked his fingers with hers. 

He pulled away and gently pushed inside of her, eyes not leaving hers. Even if she wanted to, Penny wasn’t sure she could look away. She was transfixed by what she saw in front of her. Harry’s skin and hair were damp from exertion, and the curls she’d been playing with earlier were pressed against his forehead. She could feel the tremble of his muscles and when she buried her nose in his neck, she got a whiff of the scent that could only be described as Harry. 

“Are y-you close?” Harry asked as his hips stuttered. 

“Yeah, I am.” 

“Can you come for me, baby? I need you to.”

It could have been Harry calling her baby or it could have been the feeling of him rubbing against her clit or it could have just been the intense passion she felt between them, but Penny pitched over the edge, moaning Harry’s name as she fell. 

“That’s it, baby,” he moaned, as he spilled into the condom. “That’s it. So fucking good.” 

He fell forward, resting his full weight on her as they lay there. He pressed kisses against every bit of skin his mouth could reach and she raked her fingers up and down his back and through his hair. Penny didn’t know how long they lay there like that but even when she felt their sweaty skin start to stick together she made no effort to move. 

She wasn’t letting Harry go ever again.  

***

When Penny woke up, Harry’s arm was heavy around her waist and she could feel his breath on her back. He radiated heat and despite the uncomfortable stickiness of the sweat that covered her, she made no effort to move. She had no idea how to define what had happened last night – and again in the early hours of the morning – but she knew she didn’t want this to be the end. 

She could feel Harry stir behind her and she carefully twisted around in his arms to sneak another look at him. He was so peaceful when he slept, his hair a tangled mess on the pillow. He snored lightly, almost like a whistle, and he was most definitely a cuddler. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, lulled back to sleep by the gentle rhythm of Harry’s breathing, only to be jolted awake by the sound of her alarm. 

Harry slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the faint light that was trickling in through the curtains. He looked around, getting his bearings before smiling at Penny as she silenced the alarm.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “I usually don’t have to worry about waking anyone else up.” 

“It’s not a problem,” he slurred, his voice still thick with sleep. “Should probably be getting up now anyways.” 

“You could stay for breakfast,” Penny offered, hoping she wasn’t misreading the situation. “I make a mean egg and cheese and have beans from the coffee shop down the block.” 

“I’d love nothing more than that.” Harry leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips, before rolling over to grab his phone. The gesture felt so normal, as if he’d done it every morning. 

“Shit,” he laughed. “I’m going to have a lot to explain today.”

“What’s wrong?”

He angled his phone so that Penny could read the screen. It was filled with messages from Tom, Tommy, and Jeff. “I told them I was planning to see you and they were very supportive of that decision. I think they’ll be thrilled with this development.” 

“Which is…?” Penny asked, testing the waters. 

“Us being together.” Harry’s eyes widened at Penny’s noticeable silence. “Unless I’ve completely misread this.” 

“No, no, no.” Penny leaned over to kiss him. “I want that. Us, I mean. I just didn’t think you’d want me after everything.” 

“You’re absolutely insane for thinking that, Penny. I’ve been waiting my entire life for you and I’m not letting you get away again.” Penny reached for his hand, squeezing it tightly, knowing that there were no words she could say to accurately convey how she felt in that moment. “Now come on,” Harry said. “You mentioned something about a breakfast sandwich?” 

Harry looked perfectly at home in her kitchen as she directed him on where to find the ingredients for their breakfast. They moved through the small space as if executing a perfectly coordinated dance routine neither of them had been taught, before sitting down at Penny’s table to eat together. 

“What do you have planned for today?” Harry asked. 

“Well, I’m going to go to work and then I’m going to head home.”

“No shows?”

“Not tonight.”

“Well,” Harry said, dabbing the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “I would like to take you out. On a proper date. Could I pick you up at the office? Say around six?”

“It’s a date,” Penny said, smiling from ear to ear.

When the breakfast dishes had been washed and dried and Harry had donned his clothes from the night before, they lingered by the front door, not wanting to say goodbye. 

“A kiss for the road?” Harry asked. Penny stood on her tiptoes and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “I’ll see you later then,” he said, unlocking the door. 

“Harry?” she asked, suddenly bashful. “You don’t have to answer, but what made you give me another chance?” He was so quiet, she wasn’t sure he had heard her. 

“It was your article,” he finally said, turning back to look at her. “You got me with the last line.” 

***

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has read this far and has stuck with this story despite its infrequent updates. This one was really personal for me to write so I greatly appreciate all of the ten people who have read this. 🫶🏻 Would love to hear what you think of the end!

talk to me! || story inspo

taglist: @harrysfolklore​ @platinumbarbie143​ @majasophieanna​ @lukesaprince​ @styles217​ @andwhenshesays​ @be-with-me-so-happily​ @hslllot​ @b-reads-things​ @awesomenavy​ @sweetwanderlust05​ @permanentllyharry​ @reveriehs @very-berry-harry​ @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite​ @jerseygirlinca​ @st-ev-ie​ @kahluamystery97​ @indierockgirrl​ @copiastricycle​ @autumnleaves1991-reads​